In another of a series of miscues regarding the Trump administration’s North Korea foreign policy, Trump claimed that he was sending an “armada” to the Korean Peninsula. North Korean officials probably had a laugh when news leaked that the “armada,” which included the USS Carl Vinson aircra...

On May 7, the rising wave of populism was halted in its tracks by a crushing loss for the far-right nationalist candidate, Marine Le Pen. Ms. Le Pen, whose ideology, rhetoric, and style parallel that of Dutch politician Geert Wilders and U.S. President Donald Trump, worried many around the world. Sh...

Despite what is commonly believed in the United States, Venezuela’s economic and political crises are not the fault of socialism, but the result of incompetent state capitalism and the sabotage of the opposition. In fact, Venezuela is not socialist in the least. Socialism is “social ownership and...

“Ryancare” (or “Trumpcare,” depending on whom you ask) may have failed to pass the House, thereby saving twenty-eight million Americans from losing their health insurance and between 270,000 and 500,000 people from dying in the next decade, at least according to Vice News. But that doesn’t mea...

On March 28th, the House passed a resolution that dismantles certain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and bars the Commission from issuing similar rules in the future. The regulations that were rolled back essentially forced ISPs, or Internet Service Providers, to obtain specific opt-in consen...

Since the advent of the position in 1932 under the Roosevelt administration, the White House press secretary has been the primary spokesperson for the executive branch of the government, according to the JFK Library. The press secretary is responsible for briefing the press corps on issues that conc...

On January 10, the production and sale of burqas—clothing worn in public by some Islamic women—was banned in all of Morocco for security reasons. A burqa is a full-body garment that covers the neck and head of the wearer; a mesh screen conceals the face while allowing her to see out. The Moroccan go...

One of the most remarkable things about this recent election cycle was the condemnation of so-called mainstream media from both sides of the spectrum. Both Senator Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump were outspoken against what they deemed unfair media coverage, although Mr. Trump certainly go...

Of all the claims that the 2016 election was somehow skewed, the most unsettling—and delegitimizing to President Donald Trump’s election—is that of Russian interference in the election.
Inevitably, Democrats and Republicans have squared off, debating whether this hacking means Trum...

With the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump and the convening of a Republican-dominated House and Senate, it is clear that America is in for some radical policy changes. AFter eagerly awaiting this moment for eight years of the Obama administration, Republican congressmen will not delay instituting thes...

For the last eight years, Barack Obama has led the executive branch of the United States with more than his fair share of controversy. However, with the spotlight on President-Elect Trump and the impassioned opposition his victory has caused, President Obama’s imminent departure from the White House ...

The results of the presidential election on November 8th came as a shock. Most sources predicted a Secretary Clinton win by a significant margin or had her winning the Electoral College while losing the popular vote.
The election was almost certain to go to Mr. Trump by early on the 9th. Despite thi...

The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors who cast votes to decide the President and Vice-President. This system was established in 1877, at a time when the federal government did not trust its citizens to vote directly for their senators or president. And although we now vote directly for our se...

Here’s a fun fact: a current United States presidential candidate has a warrant out for her arrest. To the disappointment of about fifty percent of Americans, I’m talking about Jill Stein, the Green Party’s current candidate for President of the United States.
On September 7 of this year, a judge...

Taking the volume of media coverage as an indicator of terror attacks, it would be fair to assume that the world was destroying itself in an inferno of terror. However, the incidence of terrorism actually decreased worldwide in 2015, increasing only in the West, a region subjected to few terror attacks...

At the first presdidential debate on September 26th, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had a battle for the ages in front of a record-setting audience. It was quite a performance from both candidates. Trump used his traditional style of aggressive and combative tactics, scoring points with some great...

A record-breaking total of eighty million viewers tuned in to the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on September 26. And that figure from CNN Money doesn’t even include online viewers. The record to beat was the 1980 debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
With...

At Groton there are three different types of students: Students who are extremely democratic/liberal, students who are highly republican/conservative, and students who still think Bernie is a candidate. I have no problem with being political—in fact, I think it’s very important for us, as adolescents,...

Since its inception in April of 2014, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has attracted remarkably large numbers of viewers—among them many Groton students—with its comedic commentaries on a variety of issues in America, ranging from the "NSA’s detailed programs" to "putting a cowboy hat on a c...

Curt Schilling was a popular man, a hero of sorts among Boston sports fans. In Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, he appeared on the mound against the Sox’s bitter rivals the Yankees with what appeared to be red spots of blood on his sock covering his right ankle, which he had...

On April 20th, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew announced huge changes to the face of the US dollar. The biggest change: sliding Andrew Jackson to the back of the $20 bill, and putting Harriet Tubman on the front.
The announcement came as a surprise. Everyone had expected Alexander Hamilton to...

Judging by how much we all make fun of Langa Chinyoka’s '17 mason jars (out of which she dares to eat brownies), I would have expected her to give it up at some point, but there she goes, either scooping our newest baked feed into her clear blue mason jar or drinking water out of the jar with a straw....

“I am going to fix the US economy!” said every Republican ever.
A large aspect of this classic Republican campaign piece is dependent on government spending, a method which in reality does next to nothing for the economy. In fact, cutting spending in STEM sectors, as Republicans have been doing,...

On the morning of Tuesday, March 22, travelers flocked out of the Brussels Airport in panic and disarray as smoke trailed behind them. Two suicide bombers had detonated at the airport, killing at least ten and injuring scores more.
Later that day, the same horror was repeated at Maelbeek metro station....

With the battle between the FBI and Apple finally over, we look back at it and realize that along with the battle in the courts between the two parties, with the former demanding that the tech giant unlock the the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone, there was also a public relations battle. A poll conducted...

A few months ago, I saw the trailer for a movie called Concussion. It is about the NFL scandal (circa 2007) over the effects of frequent and forceful blows to the head. Will Smith portrays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian forensic pathologist whose research caused the scandal. I doubt I will ever forget...

“All accumulation, therefore, of personal property, beyond what a man’s own hands produce, is derived to him by living in society; and he owes on every principle of justice, of gratitude, and of civilization, a part of that accumulation back again to society from whence the whole came.”
- Thomas P...

With the 2016 race already in full swing, the only Americans truly pleased with the candidates are the writers of SNL. It seems like the last time there was a really good, stand up, and effective presidential candidate was decades ago.
According to an Ipsos/Reuters poll, the current top two GOP contenders...

In 1965, 42.4 percent of American adults were smokers according to the Center for Disease Control. Watch AMC’s “Mad Men” and you’ll get an idea of the vast customer base American tobacco companies enjoyed. Today, the tobacco industry is still puttering along, but only 19 percent of American adults...

Should we celebrate Columbus Day? Since the early 1900s, Columbus Day has been celebrated as a national holiday celebrating Columbus’s ‘discovery’ of the Americas in 1492. But should we really honor him or his discovery? People had been living in the Americas for years before Columbus found them....